Microsoft to give complete access of its tech to the military

At a time when many of the famous brands in technology seem to be having qualms about working with the United States military, Microsoft holds no such reservations. Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft announced that his company intends to provide the military with complete support and access to all of its tech. However, he also acknowledged the staunch opposition that many of the employees seem to have against Microsoft working with the armed forces. Earlier this year, thousands of employees of Google objected to the company allowing the military to use its artificial intelligence tools. Smith asserted the ethical and honorable traditions of the military as an institution and laid any concerns of non-cooperation to rest.

Furthermore, Brad Smith did express his wish to listen to employee concerns but did not mention any intention of changing company policy. He went on to say that the use of technologies like AI have broad implications and are everyone’s concern, not just people living in Silicon Valley. Other executives in Silicon Valley have expressed different concerns about working with the military, citing all the bureaucratic red tape that entails working with a government institution. On the other hand, a majority of concerns emerge from the cultural differences of all the employees working for tech companies, who may need to work on a technology that would likely be used in campaigns against their homelands.